The General's Philosophy Blog

Greed Is Go(o)d

2007-02-12T08:56:00.000-08:00

Among all of the vices in humanity, greed is probably the most misunderstood. The masses can quickly relate to lust, hatred, and anger. Of course there are heroes in the media that reflect these emotions, but where's the love for Scrooge? Why are people so hostile towards greed?

The answer is simple: people are broke. They prefer to whine about getting screwed over rather than get hip and be greedy themselves. They'll never get enough money to actually be qualified as a miser or greedy, because they'll spend it to sate other emotions long before then.

Commerce is the most polite form of warfare known to man, and yet the losers still have the audacity to complain about losing. On other battlefields men lose their lives, all you lost was your pension plan. What do you expect when all you do is march along to the beating of the war drum, stand up straight and fall in line everyday, letting your masters dispense your pay as they will.

No, we must slaughter our peers and neighbors, leaving only the most able to serve you. All things are in a state of change, no things are held sacred. Food and shelter is a privilege. All gifts have strings attached. Greed acknowledges these truths, instead of deluding yourself in illusion and allows you to wallow in the cynical world of fact.

Usually greed is connected with cartels and thugs who get their money by beating down competition through 'unfair' means. However we must also realize that greed can be at work in the most inventive and intelligent schemes to get capital. Greed, and the suffering that comes from it all help fuel people towards innovation. It gives them a real world material reason to get up off their asses and do something. High minded ideals are nice, however when it comes to motivating people to actually take action and produce results, they tend to fail. Curiosity is probably one of the few higher methods of inspiring people to get things done, but I will leave that for another post.

And now, I would like to leave you with a prayer I say every night before I go to bed:

Forgive us our daily debts,
As we leverage the accounts of those who have borrowed against us.
And hold me not back from profit lord,
For I seek the lion share in all endeavors.
Let the river of profit flow,
Through the untaxable canals of fortitude,
And make the current of currency well valued,
And let my accumulation have no equal.
Amen.

This is reality?

2007-02-08T09:36:00.000-08:00

US answer to global warming: smoke and giant space mirrors
The answer to all of our global warming problems: let's block out the sun with a giant mirror. Maybe they can ask Dr. Evil to alter that giant magnifying glass he has orbiting the earth to deflect the light.

Smelly Orange And Yellow Snow Falls In Siberia
Perhaps those Russian Astronaughts should start aiming better when they dump their waste, that way only the dolphins will suffer. I can't help it, I love watching those cute little guys squirm.

Fireman has surgery to look like Bruce Willis
I can really relate with this story. When I'm in a burning building, I'm very concerned about how ruggedly handsome the firefighter is who is saving me. If the Fire Fighter's jawline isn't developed enough I usually decline be saved and just wait they can send in one with 6 pack abs.

US immigration cavity search ends in agony
Unfortunately the immigration officer refused an offer for a second date, saying that he had to take a trip out of town later that week.

Magic Energy Drink

2007-02-07T12:58:00.000-08:00

America is a dynamic culture fueled by change. We love trends, consumption, we like to keep moving and compete. We may criticize people who enjoy the benefits of consumption, more often than not we are guilty of simply belonging to another marketing demographic. It's much like calling working for a corporation 'wage slavery', but still going to work 9-5 every day. Americans do have culture. It's just changing so fast that no one can pin it down.

Once again, we must look to Steven Seagal for ideas. His movies speak perfectly to the need for competition and violence, with a 'noble' ideal behind it. Everything must be perfectly justified, even it is simplistic. He also speaks towards Generation X's tendency to adopt 'pieces' different of religions (though the preferred term is spirituality) to create something that makes sense to themselves. On the other side are the reactionaries that become fundamentalists.

And finally, his energy drink wraps up the example nicely. It is part of the American desire for more. More energy, more capacity, more space, more Ridilin, just more. It hits both the roots of our culture and a niche of people who prefer 'natural' alternatives to the dirty & mass produced consumer world.

The Man Gets Even With Chico

2007-02-02T06:56:00.000-08:00

"I must end it. There's no hope left. I'll be at peace. No one had anything to do with this. My decision totally."

Freddie Prinze
(June 22, 1954 - January 29, 1977) Star Of The T.V. Series "Chico And The Man"

"In the last episode to star Prinze, which was filmed just hours before he shot himself -- ironically titled Ed Talks to God -- there are many scenes in which Prinze appears to be "out of it," although it has also been said that he was always sober while on the job." From: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chico_And_The_Man

Police, of course, do not suspect foul play. Yeah, well, who owns the police? More of The Man's dirty tricks I'm afraid. The real Chico was kidnapped early on in the show, and replaced with a skinny body double. Then, they slowly drove the body double mad with forced feeding of alcohol and drugs. Finally, the man broke after so much stress. I don't buy that he offed himself, not for one minute. He had waaay to much to live for.

But, if he did, then why was he so selfish? Why not finish off the series, or at least suggest that make an episode with a decent character closing. No, instead everyone acts awkward and says "Chico has to go away on a trip" whenever it is asked where Chico is. A long, long, long trip out of town.

Never Give It 100%

2007-02-01T12:39:00.000-08:00

Looking back, throughout these months, I've learned a lot of lessons and have really grown as a person. If you enjoyed the above sentence, then you'll be happy to know I've spent the last three months ripping out pages from self improvement books that I got from the library so that I could have something nice glittery to say.

But I did it all out of love for you, the faceless readers of my blog... or perhaps just to make myself feel important. But enough about you, let's talk about me, K?

This is one insight I've gained: Never give 100% on any given task. Save that for the Wal-Mart greeters on a fixed income and the teenagers who have to go out in the rain and get the shopping carts.

100% means you will exhaust your effort too quickly and it will no longer be fun. There's a thin line between obession and passion, and sometimes it can feel like your walking a faded line. Go for around 70%.

Till next time.

Reborn Again: New Content

2007-02-01T12:32:00.000-08:00

Witty Banter (Err... reflections on Power, Politics, & Commerce)

Leon: Some things are better left unspoken, Ivana.

Ivana: I am the result of what is better left unspoken.

Leon: Anything repeated or trumpeted too often loses it's meaning, an idea in the mind of the masses is but a superficial reflection, it is a surface.

Ivana: People only have surfaces. Do you hide the truth to keep it safe, are you afraid your truth is only a reflection and not the true essence?

Leon: No, I simply wish to keep clean that which will be dirtied by the masses. All of our hands our dirty, but at least I wear gloves when I handle the truth.

Ivana: Then this truth is nothing more than a puppy you lock away in your closet, feeding it scraps from your own mind rather than letting it run free and grow.

Leon: I don't feed it much because I am picky about what I put in it. Fast food is not a 5 star dining experience. The very best meal has several courses, to excite the appetite for more. It compounds on itself.

Ivana: Only violence can mend this problem.

Leon: Physical touch, in one way or another, heals all problems.

Ivana: You have grown apathic to your own people, you forget where you come from.

Leon: I wage a constant war against the past, I keep my eyes set firmly on the beast that stands in front of me. What moral obligation do you have to wage war against me? I have entered into no contract, I am a free man.

Ivana: You don't have morals, you have empathy. You deny your own empathy, supressing that has made you lose that invisible essence that is reflected in form.

Leon: Well, I have some moral fiber. Your a fool to think you can act as you will without intervention from the masses.

Ivana: Too much moral fiber makes you morally constipated. Action is the result of planning, it is a reflection of my determination to the truth.

Leon: The more that you make yourself known, the more there is to strike at. In this age of advanced technology, where identification and tracking is common, it has become easier than ever to slip past the kings of our age. Simply be easy to read, and you are free to go about your business.

Ivana: I shouldn't have too hide, I am stronger. But it is necessary to keep these others in line. We have a very large population, all of them have access to dangerous information.

Leon: And they never use it. That's why they are different. It doesn't matter if we have failed to pluck the sheeps eyes out. All that means is he can see his inevitable slaughter. If we suppress them then they will go underground, much better to simply ignore it so that we can openly watch them.

Ivana: They say they aren't sheep, they bark like wolves, but then they go to the farm to be shaved, and ultimately killed for profit.

Leon: That's the beautiful part, they are too distracted to bother freeing themselves. If they knew the depth of what we do then they wouldn't. The curtain gets ripped in small parts, but it is patched, and their memory is too short for it to matter.

Ivana: Oh yes, our evil Satanic agenda *giggle*.

Leon: They might as well be a modern-day preacher getting up on top of a box and spouting words from his holy book. I wouldn't be surprised if those types envied us secretly. Otherwise they wouldn't of bothered to look so deeply.

Ivana: To research you. I have nothing to hide. I'm out there in the open, no one looks at me. Don't sidetrack me. This matter will see the light of day.

Leon: Until politics turns against you, then you're a refugee. Or maybe an opponent comes into power and decides it's time to have your assets frozen and heavily taxed.

Ivana: Then you'll just have to fund me, until I play my victim card and promote an image of pacifism to the media. Meanwhile I'll be digging up dirt, and dividing up Mr. Opponent's party. Wouldn't be the first time we kept one another from falling out of power.

Leon: Careful not to tell anyone that, else they'll start making up theories about how we're blood-relatives from the 12th century having scandalous incestuous affairs on the side.

Ivana: Call me what you will, I've got a job to do.

Leon: This is already out in the open, everyone sees it. I'm not going let you point it out to them. The key to power is to know your opponents moves. Either deal him the cards he will use, or give him room and let him expose his strategy.

Ivana: Real power means not having to worry about what other people think.

Leon: The show of naked force always ends up with you being isolated, and powerless.

Ivana: Only because you rely on others to do everything for you. Specialization is for insects. Those who lie and manipulate are almost always only good at that alone.

Leon: The same can be said of anyone. A movie star with an eating disorder, a professor who can't pay his rent, an executive who can't make time for his family, the stereotypical nerd who can't get laid. Few people bother to take the principles that bring them success in one area and apply them everywhere.

Ivana: I'm quite sure we've managed to stray ten thousand miles away from our topic in the course of looking for something... I don't even know what it is... but it will see the light of day. I have questions, and I want them answered now!

Leon: I've got a bunch of answers, and I want them questioned immediately.

Goood Morning

2006-03-08T05:33:00.000-08:00

Plant your dreams in your soul, harvest them in the field. :)

The Art Of Balance

2006-03-07T12:09:00.000-08:00

I think opposites are needed, at least in this dimension, for us to grow. It's interesting to figure out how destruction leads to creation, and how out of a dark-age something new can be born.

For example, firefighters used to put out forest-fires that occur naturally, but they have stopped because the fire clears out dead stuff to make way for new plants. On face value a lot of destructive actions serve no purpose, but sometimes it is necessary to tear something down so that you can build it up.

Putting this to use, let's consider two examples of warriors:

On one hand, we have the passive, the invisible, the 'servile', the feminine. Even though on the surface it gives into the will of others, it can still manipulate others and have it's will done. It is subtle, can serve as a trickster. Rather than get into conflicts, you conserve your energy and stay under the radar.

On the other hand we have aggressive brute force, making a show of force for the world to see. This can intimidate some, but if gone to far it creates lots of unneeded conflict. This kind is much more open, and if left uncontrolled it is very easy for others to manipulate.

If your completely passive, than you wouldn't have any personal boundaries, but you would probably push into other peoples boundaries if your completely aggressive.

It's a hard balance trying to create an environment where the whole group remains respected while still promoting individuality.

The more I think about it, it seems necessary to keep a balance between the two in your life. Any thoughts on this?

On The Will To Live

2006-02-04T18:05:00.000-08:00

On The Will To Live

I would say first stop for a moment, assess yourself. What is life like, what do you have, and perhaps most importantly, what do you REALLY want? What would really satisfy you? What are you missing in your life?

Secondly, purely material goals aren't the only goals we can strive for in life. Others include, but are not limited too, reshaping the world with our creative vision, improving our skill sets, and charity.

These things take a little longer than the instant gratification of consumerism, and take longer to build up.

I find that we all go through periods of Nihilism in our lives, and sometimes there is nothing but time that can make that go away. There is no 'cheering up' because it is a phase. Just don't get caught up in the drama of it.

To address why I live, because I seek to explore the world, the world of possibilties, to it's fullest. In a sense, to expand certain skill-sets which will allow me to trascend limitation and get closer to the wholeness of all that is.

If your sick of the pre-planned pre-packeged life you have been given then dream something else for yourself. Reality is what you percieve of it. You are your own savior.

"Dreams pass into the reality of action. From the actions stems the dream again; and this interdependence produces the highest form of living."
...
"I will not be just a tourist in the world of images, just watching images passing by which I cannot live in, make love to, possess as permanent sources of joy and ecstasy."
...
"Living never wore one out so much as the effort not to live."
Anais Nin

Ha, that raps things up nicely for now :)

Truth

2006-02-02T16:14:00.000-08:00

All over, I see people from a variety of religions and beliefs preaching that there's is the best way too get closer too god, closer to the whole of everything. That is, if we choose to define god as the infinity of the universe.

But, it seems that many people are making the same mistakes (or perhaps not). Everyone must walk their own path. Truth has been fragmented up into various philosophies, outlooks on life, but they all lead too the same place sooner or later.

Some ways are more direct, and this can lead people to believe that this is the best way, but it is not best for everyone. Some people would prefer the scenic route. One belief would intrepet something as a waste of time, another would see it as paramount to going a step further. It is important to watch where we draw our lines in the sand, and too remember that they are nothing more than lines in the sand.

So, even though we can't say our truth is the truth for everyone, we still impose it upon them. Our philosophy, our own personal truth, is our outlook, and we live that truth. Imposing this on others through action cannot always be avoided, and it could well be that the only way to avoid imposing yourself on others in one way or another is to return to the void of nothingness.

Just something to keep in mind :)

Blog Is Active Again, Good And Evil

2006-01-23T12:22:00.000-08:00

There are certain dangers with making yourself "part" of any group. Your individuality is taken away, and many times your ego and it's desires can manifest without restriant. Also, you may become subserviant to the will of higher members in the group. Thats why, no matter what position you are in the group, you should be a leader in it. Taking the position of leader, and defying a group can be hard for some people because most people in the west grow up very insecure, and are taught to seek the approval of others. I suggest you get over that fear. Don't fool yourself into believing that just joining a group makes you 'good' or 'right'.

Good and evil, based off of action, is purely relative. Coming to believe that any action in itself is 'pure evil' can lead to fundamentalism and hard headedness. But, I believe there is also another way to try and understand peoples actions, and that is through intention. Intention leaks out through unoticed actions. It's a reflection of the inside. As humans, we have a lot of freedom, but I don't think one of those freedoms is the right to tell other people what is right and wrong. Any action, no matter how strange it may seem, can lead to god with the right intentions. For one person charity is just a tax break, for another it is a way to help others.

Most people that are walking around aren't really 'awake' yet. Their lives are a haze caused by being distracted and pulled in every direction without any self reflection. Usually something has to come along and 'burst' their bubble to bring them out of it. Their narrow view of reality is then widened up, and their map of reality is expanded. I have had this happen many times, including with the Wingmakers, thats why it can be important not to stick to a belief or piece of knowledge to tightly. Like Socrates, "I Know Nothing."

Personally, I let my heart and compassion guide me, regardless of whatever label people will put on that.

I have heard many people tell me they are with the light, doing the lights will, ect... When my heart and compassion guides me, I am following my path. And above all, it's always choice.

Society, and repression of instinct

2005-11-11T11:17:00.000-08:00

Heres an article I wrote for Xophan Awhile back http://equivocate.net/xophan/index.html

There is a certain freedom in which comes from letting go from everything. Rationality included. Our society is hopelessly attached to rationality and just cause, to the point where we have no artistic soul. There is no emotion in our culture, our buildings, our life, it is all just mass manufactured crap. We seek only to please the left brain, is right sits rotting in the gutter. We only care about bringing home the paycheck, and gratify our emotions through consumer goods, rather trying to actually sating our desires. Our emotional mind is crying out for attention. Mass production cannot replace everything in the world. Obviously what the world needs is more sex, violence, drugs, and art. We vainly try to cling to our existence because of our greed for life, and yet we deny ourselves the experiences of life.

We wear the mask of rationality so much that we forget what we look like underneath the mask. We cannot erase years of evolution, we are still human, and we have needs. And yet society as a whole, and government, denies that we have needs. This is just more of man attempting to erase his animal and replace it with dogma, he will always fail at this because we are still animals. Rather than look for socially acceptable outlets for these emotions, we repress these needs. And so, consumer goods are made which feed off of our needs. They are still against social norms, even though a large percent of the population uses them. No matter how far society advances, we will still be mammals. Humans can never escape it's chains to mammals without becoming something that is not human.

So why is it against our social norms to be human? We view the people who break these rules people as primitive, uncivilized, and foolish individuals because they let go, but I believe society also envies them. They are free thinking individuals. The individuals which break free some these social norms prove that they can think for themselves, without influence society, church, or government influencing their decisions and thoughts.

So why all of this denial of our emotions, and our sexuality? Why must be repress our own sexuality in society? Sex is important to the survival of the species, it's up there with eating Vicodin and drinking Jack Daniels. So why is that you can get in trouble for talking about sex, but not eating? We repress our own desires, but allow a growing amount of sex in the media. We are given a mass produced product to gratify our desires, rather than the real thing.

It's because our social norms are built off of old traditions. Rather than thinking logically about our traditions, we just accept them and it becomes part of us. Poor sexual education, for starters, is one of the problems that come from these traditions. There is plenty of sexual education programs in schools in America, but this hasn't stopped our social norms from having a greater effect on youth. Sexual education is more than a classroom course. These programs are working so well that the poor are reproducing like bunny rabbits; propaganda of this type doesn't work when it conflicts with social norms. America has become so cluttered in tradition that it's social norm's makes as much sense as putting on a bullet proof vest then shooting yourself in the head.

Violence and competition is also in our nature, but you won't see us admitting to it. If you listen to the P.S.A.'s they'll say violence is not the solution, instead call a hotline. It's mass manufactured propaganda, they always say the same things. I've called them before, it's like a broken record. "No, no, don't do it." Finally I got tired of it and cussed him out for 5 minutes. He just kept repeating himself. You know what I found out? The prick at the end of the line just turned on a recording and got a sandwich and a hooker. That is how much the government cares. It's just politicians trying to make the tax paying middle class feel better.

Bush's new "War On Pornography", for example, is an attempt to stop hardcore pornography that has no artistic merit. Rather than admitting that humans have sexual desires that must be satisfied in one way or another, the government just tries to destroy the effects, and represses some individual rights It is much like smashing someone in the gut with a steel rod because he has a cough. And I bet you wonder why the world wants more Vicodin. It may not solve the growing number of mental illnesses in our society, but it is a start.

I would like to leave you with a verse from our lord's book, for you to reflect on: "There she lusted after her lovers, whose genitals were like those of donkeys and whose emission was like that of horses." Ezekiel 23:20

Political Charisma

2005-11-02T16:22:00.000-08:00

First, let us talk about the 2004 election.

The main candidates were John F Kerry and George W Bush. Bush, already having served one term, was made out to be a leader, and a down to earth Christian through several media ads. Bush made no exact positions on issues, he kept is vague and simple. They played strongly on both his decisiveness as a leader, and his flaws in speech.

Bush had good PR people.

Kerry, on the other hand, was made out to be a proper speaking well educated man, who was not bold or decisive. He 'flip flop's'. They did not point out any flaws, and because of the money that he married into, they made him out to be a rich aristocrat. They disputed his war record, making little mention of their own candidates war record, except that he served.

Society wants someone who mirrors their own values and ideals, but at the same time has something that the country lacks. The country lacked leadership, and Bush was made out to be the one who could provide it.

Kerry debated issues and went into details and gray area, Bush stayed vague, but kept on with the 'leadership' and 'family values'. Bush liked to visit his ranch, proving that he was still down to earth, a real man of the people.

Can you think of another election like this one? I can.

Andrew Jackson vs. John Quincy Adams.

Andrew Jackson was uneducated, like most Americans, but he was certainly not stupid. He retired back to his farm in Tennessee after losing an election to Adams. During this time papers that he owned circulated news all over America of him living like a regular American: in a log cabin, drinking hard cider, working on his farm, reading the bible, sleeping on a hard wood bed.

When in fact he was drinking the good stuff, letting his slaves do the work, and sleeping on a comfortable
bed. He probably did read the bible though.

So, the next term came around, and this time he created a new party, The Democrats. The papers that
had been telling the people news of how he was living now worked on more propaganda to get Jackson elected this time around.

In these papers, John Adams was made out to be an aristocrat, who drank fine liquor all day and played pool with his upper class friends. He wore fancy clothing and talked proper. People began to believe that the aristocrats may be trying to take control over the white house, that perhaps some sort of conspiracy among the rich and powerful was going on. Someone had to restore American Christian values of honesty to the white house.

While Jackson was running, he kept all his speeches focused on the mood of the crowd. He kept it vague and simple so that no one knew where he stood on important issues. It was hard for his supporters to know what he believed, but they believed he argeed with them.

Afterall, this is about bringing back values to the white house, stopping the evil elite, not about cheap politics.

Adams on the other hand, went into fine details in all of his issues, everyone knew exactly where he stood. And, an overwhelming majority of people were not with him. Some people couldn't help but feel less intelligent then him, afterall he used big words.

America has a way of picking the man it needs for the time. They picked Jackson, he won in a landslide in all regions. Jackson just helped America need him, a little bit.

Alright, so maybe the elections weren't exactly the same, but it's close enough. I needed to give you some politics to chew on so you can understand what I'm about to say:

So, what is charisma? Here is what I think it is:

Charisma is when you display something that others lack, and the people love you for displaying it.
When people feel secure, they indulge in hobbies, entertainment, and politics.

But when they lose their sense of security, entertainment will mean less to them. The masses will look to someone who has a vision, a plan, a sense of purpose.

People at large are not in touch with their subconscious minds. They repress so much that they cannot always tell what they really want or need. So someone comes along who reads this need and fills it, and that person will be loved.

The person can be said to be a salesmen, and every salesmen knows what the customer needs. Can you seduce the world?
What you are selling is your image.

You need to create a balanced image, and play on your strengths as well as your flaws.
Above all else, you need to display a strength that the people lack. You must show that you have got what they need.

Can you relate with a man who has no flaws? I sure as hell can't. When you show your flaws it makes you seem human. It takes away the scary authortive effect, so people will listen to you and not just be frightened by your power. It sounds stupid but it's true. Your flaws should be acceptable to the group that you are trying to seduce, and they should be able to indentify with the flaw. Being a poor orator can be used to create a bond with the crowd, because most people aren't good public speakers.

You'll want to keep your standings on issues vague, so that no one can disagree with you. You do not want disagreement, your job is to create unity in society. Society has always been splintered by several groups of opinions, but if you give them one vague dream to work towards [new society] then they will have something to agree about.

As long as you produce results the masses will be happy. The more success you produce the more trust they will give you, and the more your power is amplified.

Try to sum up your one idea/vision into a simple catch phrase, and repeat it. Burn it into their brains. The catch phrase, like all messages, should be formatted so that people of all levels of intelligence can understand it.

You must have unshakable confidence in your vision. When the people see this it inspires them. When Lenin was told his ideas have nothing to do with reality, he would say, "So much the worse for reality." It is because of Lenin's sense of purpose that people followed him.

Never reveal the source of your confidence. By being confident and brave without giving reason you erect an aura of mystery that benefits you.

We are born without a purpose in life. We go from place to place, seeking a meaning in life, and instant gratification. Reality is harsh though, the and truths in life people find are as well. When you show that you have a purpose, a greater one that needs other to help build it up, people will be attracted to you. A man who can give order to the orderless will be loved by the people.

Of course, this should go without saying, always believe your lie. Reality is what we make of it, wouldn't you like everyone to believe your version of reality is the 'right' one?

Play on the fact that most people are submissive and reserved. Be alive, by acting with energy you fill others that pay attention to you with energy. The audience will notice the emotion you display, but do not overuse it or you will seem like you have no control over yourself.

Mystery

2005-10-27T08:11:00.000-07:00

Keep matters for a time in suspense. Admiration at their novelty heightens
the value of your achievements. It is both useless and insipid to play with
your cards on the table. If you do not declare yourself immediately, you arouse
expectation, especially when the importance of your position makes you the
object of general attention. Mix a little with everything, and the very mystery
arouses veneration. And when you explain, do not be too explicit, just as you
do not expose your inmost thoughts in ordinary conversation. Cautious silence
is the sacred sanctuary of worldly wisdom. A resolution declared is never
highly thought of - it only leaves room for criticism. And if it happens to
fail, you are doubly unfortunate. Besides, you imitate the divine way when you
inspire people to wonder and watch --Balthasar Gracian

Whenever you are trying to sell an image, it is best to create a feeling of mystery. By leaving out some information, you allow peoples imagination to fill in the blanks. In a time where so much has been explained by science, it feels good to have something unknown.

Social Currency

2005-10-26T05:45:00.000-07:00

When you present yourself to other people, you are selling an image to them. Everyone has different images that they present to the different social circles they are active in. The images of the heros of history are changed with time, there mistakes and flaws fade away and a perfect figure lives on history. By circulating in all circles, like a currency, you stay aware of new information, and you make sure you have a diverse range of contacts. But make sure that once you establish yourself in a group, you don't circulate yourself to much in a group for to long, or like a currency, the value goes down.

The Thumbscrew

2005-10-24T08:40:00.000-07:00

Find out each person's thumbscrew. This is the art of setting their wills
in action. It needs more skill than resolution. You must know where to get at
any one. Every volition has a special motive that varies according to taste.
All people idolize something; for some it is fame, for others self-interest, for
most it is pleasure. Skill consists in knowing these idols in order to bring
them into play. Know a person's mainspring of motive and you have as it were
the key to his will. Have resort to primary motives, which are not always the
highest but more often the lowest part of his nature because there are more
dispositions badly organized than well. First guess a person's ruling passion,
appeal to it with words, set it in motion by temptation, and you will always
checkmate his freedom of will. --Balthasar Gracian

I'm not an extrovert. I have to act because I can't express what I am feeling. I'm not someone who enjoys being on the stage in front of people. --Jessica Alba

Part 1

The most common types of emotions are:
1. Insecurity
2. Unhappiness

1. Everyone wants to actually be some one, and many of us want to be part of the herd. We want to be great, and we want to belong. For a very few, this is a reality, for most it is only a dream. If you can create a family group in which the person can belong to, or make the person feel great about themselves, the victim will drop it's guard. Flattery can be an effective way of person feel good about himself, but only if it is aimed at a weak point. You do not tell a professional actor that he is a great performer, it is obvious to him. Instead, find some sort of hobby that the person does, something on the side that is not known, and comment on that. The key is to not have your blocked out as noise, instead to penetrate your victims mental armor. Realize that you must not give out excessive compliments to people, or they will start to lose their meaning. Never satisfy there desire fully.

2. Remove the source of the discomfort, or become an outlet of happiness yourself. In some cases, there will be a stirrer, a friend of your victim, who makes your victim feel bad about himself because the friend is in a poor mood. We are easily swayed by one another's moods, in this case it may be best to get the victim away from the friend.

The others are Fear, Greed, and Lust. When you play on an emotion, you will find that the person can no longer think logically. The person is in the grip of an emotional state, the victim's judgment will be impaired, and in many cases will act childlike. This is a sign that you are getting to your victim.

Part 2

Once you see an emotion, then you must begin to direct the person to do whatever you will.

Learn to notice details. Details all speak of what a person is like on the inside. Simply being an observer is useful, or you can try something like making a joke at your victims expense to see how s/he reacts. Keep a watchful eye out for people who go out of there way for attention, like giving excess compliments in the hope of getting some back, over tipping the waiter, the way they dress, details and unconscious stuff is most important.

Controlling the victim:

Humans like free choice, but they also want to be limited enough so that they don't have a sea of options. People want to develop there own opinions on things, they just need to be nudged in a direction now and then. This part of the game is all about thinking through the victims eyes, and being a few steps ahead.

You can color the options, make one way look worse than the other. You do this by describing a set of options, but pointing out the flaws in one, and making the other seem like the better choice. When dealing with very indecisive people, you can take this to an extreme. Describe situations to provoke fear, subtly directing the person in whatever direction you will.

Peer pressure can be a simple but effective method of driving behavior. People will do things they normally wouldn't just to fit into the group. The more desirable it is to be in the group, the more they will try to conform to it.

The shrinking options can make someone jump on an option. Basically, you give the victim the feeling that if s/he doesn't act right now, then the options will be degraded to something worse. Advertising use's this a lot with "One time only! This won't last!" sales. You can probably find a lot of examples of this on TV and in magazines.

If you are looking to paralyze someone, then create two options that seem almost completely equal, and either way some sort of pain in will come them. There mind will be stuck and won't make a decision until the last minute; damned if you do, damned if you don't.

When you encounter someone who is directly resisting you, try reverse psychology. You say the opposite of whatever you want the person to do, and the person will do the opposite of what you said, which is what you want him to do.

The Questions

2005-10-22T08:30:00.000-07:00

We ask questions to find out more about our environment, ourselves, and many other reasons. For each question we ask, we usually find an answer. But the truth fluid, and constantly changing. Asking questions can be compared with grasping at the wind, it never lasts. But because the truth is always changing, so must always be asking questions, increasing our self awareness.

Social Theory Part 1

2005-10-14T19:07:00.000-07:00

Social Theory

Thoughts On Society And The School System

Part 1

Man, as he is now, is a pack animal. However, society as it is has to much conformity in it to foster independent thought. Due to the great number of problems with the educational system, the problems in society grow with every generation that is released from school. More emphasis must be put on the individual instead of the group and improving the individual to his or her potential, regardless of social class.

You must move away from the masses mentally in order to escape the emotion and be able to think clearly. However most people take this to far when they do this, and go into exile.

When you are isolated you are able to think. You are able to tale a full view and assess your situation and think of life in general. Just like when you are in prison, all there is to do is think. But, the longer you stay on the fringe the harder it becomes to go back into society. When are away from people for to long you begin to conceive strange and perverted thoughts. What happens is you degrade your condition and fitness when you leave the group because you were used to living with the authority of the group. So few of us have self discipline, we rely on discipline from others.

We lose our social intelligence, or never get it, if we do not go out into the world. Isolation in small doses can have good effects on the mind, but if your off the streets for to long you lose out on staying updated on critical information and social skills. Being able to get along with others is a form of intelligence, and you are not exercising yourself completely if you are not using it. The problem comes from when people take social intelligence as being the end all of life as part of cultural programming.

The social group relies on the thinking structure of others in order to think and make decisions, and they are rewarded externally, this creates problems once more when you are separated from the group. This also in part hampers innovation, because the group believes it has reality figured out, and everything that cannot fit into this picture will be rejected, even it if can be proven. The group contributes to the stupidity of it's members. When people reach 30 years of age they have become completely imprinted by the group, and therefore a new generation is needed to innovate things for a short time period. The older peoples have come to accept reality as it is, and do not question things because others do not question them, they are reliant on social programming and the authorities thinking for their own decisions.

The greatest problem of society is that it puts pleasure seeking actions and various distractions over productive work and freethinking. This is because the masses are not in control of their emotions or aware of themselves. It uses the 9-5 work and raising a family as a distraction and a way to fit further into the group. Because having children is a cultural norm, the parents may not be suited/want to raise their own children. And workers who self motivate are more productive.

They have not yet developed the ability to regulate their emotions and think logically. Therefore things like hydraulic theory (Freud), which says that the stronger the emotions, the more chance a person has to act on it becomes true. I am of the opinion that regardless of the strength of the emotion, you still have the ability to control your emotions. You are responsible for yourself, no excuses.

They avoid philosophical and serious discussion in favor of pleasure, distractions, and most of all the group. Self motivation is not taught in schools, so the people must rely on authority for it. Emotional control is not taught in school, so government/employers/teachers must do it. These people who are reliant on the group do not want to be free, they can't handle control over there lives because they are to afraid of what would happen if they were isolated and forced to think for themselves. Another thing our schools must teach is the logical fallacies that are used, so that they can see through propaganda and opinion and be able to think correctly. Scroll down to midpage and you can find a list of what I am talking about: http://www.trufax.org/general/beliefsystems.html People need to be able to identify this stuff in arguments, and be able to defend themselves mentally from this shit.

And while we are at reforming the schools, we should allow students who show that they have an understanding of the core knowledge the school is teaching to learn something they want to learn on school time. The short time I did spend in school I was always asked to not go faster than the group, to stay in the same place. After awhile, I gave up altogether and they put me into the retards class. Now, what if I complete a test for the day an hour early, and learn about Plato for that extra hour? Why shouldn't I be able to do this? Can anyone actually give me a reason why I shouldn't be able to?

Sartre believed that action that is done unintentionally cannot be considered action, even though it occurs in the world. Where does this put those people who are constantly thinking of things, and spend a large part of their free time thinking about work, kids, money, and other things (while not solving the problem)? Well, the work that takes some of there time is not as bad as having it on your mind all the time. What you end up with is a person that spends most of his time inside of his own head, visualizing bad things, which has negative effects on his mental and physical condition, and doesn't live life much. I believe much of this worry is not needed, it is just the mind wandering because your bosses have aligned your self interest with their own. We are taught to some degree to think critically, but we are not taught awareness. It's a funny thing, but it is a useful skill to keep your mind from wandering. So many people in this world simply take this awareness for granted. How do we teach focus, awareness? Well, we can start with yoga breathing exercises. Just try to keep your mind on your breathing for 15 minutes, and each time your mind wanders bring it back to the breathing. Do not talk, or scold yourself, just focus on the breathe.

Our education system focus's only on people who are skilled with using there left brain (logical/fact memorization/competition), and discards the 50% of the population that makes use of the creative/emotional right brain. Also, the system works better for females due to the fact that males are more geared toward action, we don't like to sit in one place listening to a lecture. We are ignoring emotions instead of teaching people to control them for themselves. The teachers are acting as the controllers in the school system. And, instead of being able to explore your own interests you are forced to go by your teachers plan you. "Conform, because thats the way it is", is the attitude we have right now. Now with outsourcing, foreigners can do our left brained work, leaving most of our left brain developed society out of work.

What is needed is a new philosophy for policy for society, and an overhaul of school systems, for starters. Before we implement any more changes to minor social issues or systems, we should improve the quality of individuals in the society. And the each new generation is educated in the school system. I want a people that thinks for themselves, and does not need an authority group, such as government, to tell them how to live. Maybe I'm just a dreamer.

Some Thoughts On Altruism

2005-10-14T06:59:00.000-07:00

We live in a time of tension, how ever are we to cure this fragmented society of ours? How do we band together when we are selfish and driven only by our own desire to reproduce and acquire property?

Beliefs are both unconscious as well as conscious, and they have a profound effect on values, personality, and behavior. The human animal is unique in that it's intelligence can control it's own instinct and emotions. This is what makes us different from other animals, it has had some interesting effects on how we react with one another. For one, it has allowed society to evolve in the way that it has, it has also given us a wealth of choice in places we did not have it in. Therefore, simply saying 'human nature' prevents us from doing something is illogical, because we can control and or repress our desires (though our desires will no doubt find other ways to seep through and effect our actions). Though the human is hardwired with these things, and they will seep through in our actions unconsciously, I still believe that through critical thinking we can control ourselves to make many different living environments possible, if the humans are willing to accept change.

In the beginning, people lived in much smaller, tightly knit groups. This family unit worked well, but the people found that they could survive better in groups of less than a dozen. As the population of the tribes increased, tribes meet up with one another. Some may of merged together, others may of fought against one another, and some may of just traded with one another. But, some tribes no doubt had more wealth than other tribes. As human tribes with got larger and richer in whatever material item(s) that were desired, so did tribes began to envy one another, and the weaker tribes no doubt attempted to undermine the others/go to war with them.

Well, we are still human, and that part of the human is intertwined with the rest of our past evolution. Now, we have different sub cultures in society, same dynamic, but whole hell of a lot more people, all over crowded in the land. But, this does not have to mean conflict. The problem is that there is no set dynamic for human behavior, even with government present we have several sub-cultures within our own society who live by their own standards, and will resist the authority if their own ways of life are compromised. Society is fragmented by different social views on the world, it always will be as long as diversity exists and no one can come to a compromise. Unlike the other animals, we can make choices, and we don't all make the same choices.

But, it takes a certain kind of person to be able to come to a compromise. That is, one who is actually capable of controlling his/her own instincts and emotions for the sake of compromise. Do not mistake what I am saying, I do not believe we should remove all sources of conflict from our lives. This comfort would stagnate us, and degrade what abilities we have. I think that we have many sources of conflict and many things to strive for, and that society ought to work together so that we can ensure our own survival and better our own race. Some of this friction in our own society is preventable.

In our capitalist society, which is believed to be driven by self interest, there is a common notion that Altruism is done only to aide the person who is giving it. It is the idea that people who do not produce are 'freeloaders', and are therefore entitled to less rights and respect because they do not wish to work. This is obviously more of the subtle underpinnings of how we judge people off of their monetary status. Capitalism can be driven by self interest and still benefit the greater whole of people. Giving jobs to the poor is an example of this, but their must be competition otherwise the firm will not pay a fair amount to the worker. Honest markets are more efficient because people do not have to research and inspect every item they buy or sell. Altruism and self interest can co-exist in many win-win situations.

There are some psychological strings attached to any free meals: It can be when the person who gives the meal comes to believe that s/he is better than the person who receives it, which can develop a victim attitude in the receiver. Also, it can be simply wanting to repay a favor given. I believe that when both the giver and receiver chose to do what they do, for whatever reasons, and except that they are both equals in society, then Altruism is possible without these strings. Altruism can be executed out of values, and not just out of calculation of having a favor returned in the future. In Value Altruism the person lives by their own values, which includes helping others. This form of Altruism is based off of living the way the person thinks life should be lived, and is not directly related to any selfish means.

Naturally, it would also depend on how the person decided to be Altruistic. We have tribal Altruism, which is giving aid to those who are related to you by ethnic, work, or community. Then, there is mutual Altruism, which is based off of the idea that all people are alike, or at least not to different, and therefore we can help everyone. The person in this position may feel like s/he can be friends with everyone s/he meets. Some could consider this based off of self interest, because you have something in common with everyone, but it achieves the idea of having people work together. I believe this is the best form of Altruism in our large diverse society.

Humans need to work together in order to increase our quality of life, and so that our race can progress and not be threatened by extinction. I am not saying that we need to destroy all forms of conflict so that we can create a totally comfortable environment, this would degrade us even further. I am saying that we should remove the friction in our own society so that we can focus on the survival and betterment of our species. Critical thinking, compromise, and a little Altruism will make a progressive society. The idea is that we try to put some balance between our own self interest and others. There are many situations that do require the person to put his/her own interests above that of the group, I am only suggesting that we can work together more often to reduce our daily friction. To put it simply, if we are tolerant of one another on a day to day basis, use critical thinking, and consider what other people need, we could reduce the friction and stress in our society.

Thoughts On Time

2005-10-11T07:48:00.000-07:00

The passing of time can be measured, but it seems to pass differently for everyone. I believe the emotional condition of the person helps to influence how fast time seems to pass. But there are still things that exist, like clocks, that tell us what the measured time is. Things can't happen in a chronological order without some amount of time. The passing of time is a corner stone for any event to happen. On one hand, time is a man made invention, and on the other it is a part of the our universe.

Would time exist if we hadn't discovered it? Would gravity exist we if hadn't discovered it? What if another form of life that was capable of discovering these things found them, would they still exist?

Yes. The stuff existed before we discovered it.

I think time itself would travel the same even if we weren't aware of it existing. Light would take just as long to reach the earth if humans had never existed to discover and measure time.

The past and future are nothing more than theories, the present is the only thing that exists. The past is kept alive through memory, and the future can be predicted by the experiences we have gained in our life.

Insight Of The Day #2

2005-10-08T14:49:00.000-07:00

"The Man and His Two Sweethearts

A MIDDLE-AGED MAN, whose hair had begun to turn gray, courted two
women at the same time. One of them was young, and the other
well advanced in years. The elder woman, ashamed to be courted
by a man younger than herself, made a point, whenever her admirer
visited her, to pull out some portion of his black hairs. The
younger, on the contrary, not wishing to become the wife of an
old man, was equally zealous in removing every gray hair she
could find. Thus it came to pass that between them both he very
soon found that he had not a hair left on his head.

Those who seek to please everybody please nobody."--Aesop

This is one of my favorite Aesop tales. We really can't please everybody we meet, people are different. But despite our differences, we should still be tolerant of one another.

Love That Hatred

2005-10-07T17:07:00.000-07:00

I consider myself a psuedo Anthony Robbins, so I will give the reader some self help advice. Stop making friends. Friends are a dime a dozen in the civilized world, you need some enemies.

Most people are too nice, and when they finally do make an enemy, they try to make friends with their enemies! I tell you, this is not the way to prosper. Enemies give you a reason to wake up in the morning. There is nothing quite like getting the better of someone you don't like. If you make a few well placed enemies, you can enjoy watching them suffer for the rest of your life, a guaranteed source of entertainment! Most enemies you will get are sub-par, and won't hold a grudge for more than a couple of years. What you need to find is a nemesis, someone you can wake up hating every morning. Even better, hatred gives you motivation and a purpose in life. The best part is that it destroys your humanity, so don't feel bad about getting your arch rival in the office fired.

The problem is, most of us don't know how to enemies. We are taught starting in kindergarten to share, care for one another, peace on earth, all that mind scum. It's just brainwashing from the man. So I will give you a few pointers on how to make enemies:

1. Words are a very poor form of transmitting thought, but it's all we have. With carefully crafted words (10%) and body language and tone(90%), we can inspire feelings of hatred in everyone around us.

2. Find some objects that people bitterly hate, and wear them where ever you go. Let your imagination run wild!

3. Start using words that can easily be misinterpreted. Start taking every little thing a person says, and think about it, and warp the words around in your mind. Assume every comment that could mean negative is negative. Pretty soon your version of reality will be filled with hateful comments.

4. Find differences in opinion, clothing, hairstyle, music, anything to get fired up over.

Soon, you'll have droves of enemies chasing after you!

Conflict

2005-10-07T11:50:00.000-07:00

Thus Spoke Zarathustra, III: On Old and New Tablets, 29.

"Why so hard?" the kitchen coal once said to the diamond. "After all, are we not close kin?"

Why so soft? O my brothers, thus I ask you: are you not after all my brothers?

Why so soft, so pliant and yielding? Why is there so much denial, self-denial, in your hearts? So little destiny in your eyes?

And if you do not want to be destinies and inexorable ones, how can you one day triumph with me?

And if your hardness does not wish to flash and cut through, how can you one day create with me?

For all creators are hard. And it must seem blessedness to you to impress your hand on millennia as on wax.

Blessedness to write on the will of millennia as on bronze—harder than bronze, nobler than bronze. Only the noblest is altogether hard.

This new tablet, O my brothers, I place over you: Become hard! "

Life is a struggle, from the moment we are born we must fight for our survival. Those of us lucky enough to have parents who can take care of their children are slowly eased into life, while others are put into the struggle much earlier in life. We fight because it is an obstacle to our goals, or just because we love to fight. Life is conflict, and we there is no way to erase conflict from our lives completely. No matter how much we try to shelter ourselves and others from conflict, it will always exist. Instead of trying to create an environment in which there is no conflict, we should try to focus on dealing with the conflict, and solve what problems we can to reduce the conflict.

Dealing with this wears us down over time, like the tide beating against a rockface. The small problems amplify our negative emotions and can drive us mad. Don't let the little things that can't be solved bother you.

Insight Of The Day #1

2005-10-06T07:51:00.001-07:00

Insight of the day: You own your money, your money doesn't own you. Don't impulse buy off of emotions, this is just short term gratification. Being sentimentally attached to a large number of goods can be very unhealthy because you have alot more to take care of, it is a burden on the mind. It's hard enough taking care of ourselves and others. Like with most things, you have to figure out where to draw the line.

Thoughts Of A Hitman

2005-10-05T08:34:00.000-07:00

Thoughts on the personality of a "Hitman" Character:

I am a professional predator. I consider death to be an art. Some people are artists, I am more of a salesman. Some people are in this line of work because they love their boss more than their own family, but I am just a humble businessman. No expects a 5 3 humble Japanese man in a suit to be of any danger. They live and perceive the world through social norms, and constantly rely on the herd This is my greatest advantage. The new age predators no longer kill for meat, instead they have the meat do their work for them.

We wear the mask of rationality so much that we forget what we look like under the mask. We have to hide behind the facade of social normality. We do this because being in the herd increases our own chances of survival. Being in a group, and working together increases our own chances of survival, so we attempt to control our instincts in order to increase our own chances of survival. Beneath this mask is a unique human animal, but in order to fit into the society we have to put on the facade. The better the person mirrors the group, the more that person fits in, and the more that persons own survival is increased during times of turbulence. We can peer underneath the mask during disaster to see what humans really look like, we can see how their own self interest really works. The truth, beyond social norms, is that the herd deceives one another to survive.

Naturally I believe there is a desire to be in a group embedded in all of us, the cohesion elements left over from many years of evolution. But the self interest will always seem to be more important than the group.

Altruism, in any form, is just an extension of self interest. It does not matter if it is a favor that you want paid back later, if your doing it because of your own values, or doing it because you made a connection with someone, self interest rules us all. We make connections with people because we see something of ourselves in them, extensions of our own ego. This gives us the desire to help them.

We allow ourselves be dominated so that we may live, enjoy a sense of security, and have a sense of purpose.

But, the herd does not realize that the predators also wear masks. Because of the diversity of our western society, any human can be accepted into society. Any predator can put on a lambskin and take his fair share of the world. The meat of the sheep has now been replaced by a new meat, money. And, the herd is used by predators to make this money. Just as predators can wear the mask of sheep, sheep can wear the masks of predators. The real thugs of the world don't need to wear fake gold chains and baggy pants to be thugs.

People will beat you to death all day long with their morals, justice, and other concepts that they do not fully understand. The most often last words that I hear amounts to something like "It's not fair!", or "I'm to young, I still have a lot to live for".

The reality is there is no fairness in life. I find that there are not truly twisted or insane humans, just disorganized ones. That is to say, the base human instinct stays the same in all humans, but the ways in which it is repressed and controlled changes, and creates a different type of person. This can be altered, but only at the own persons will of doing so. And, that morals do exist. We could simply say that no moral laws exist, but if I live my life by a moral law, then it must exist. So, I shall conclude that there is no tangible moral law, no morals are universal laws, like gravity. Morals are something that dwells in the subjective human mind.

Anyone that takes a look at the justice system can also see it is flawed. From the executions of innocent men, to the human judges who judge by their own bias, to the police force which enforce the law the way they see it should be enforced. Of course, every society needs the fear that the justice system creates to keep themselves in line, and a false sense of security that comes with thinking you are safe. This begs the question are we actually safer in our herd?

When dealing with people, I see many of them try to justify their own instincts by doing things that are socially acceptable. I see very often in police, who justify their own behavior and actions through social norms. Murder is justice when the person goes against a social norm. It is not the fact of what the people did that is so repelling, death happens all the time, but that the person went against social norms, and the false sense of security is gone. Being exposed to the harsh truth of reality is frightening, if you have been seeing things through the sugar coated eyes of the herd.

Don't get the wrong idea about me, I do see things in gray. Dominate or be dominated seems rather black and white, and most people are doing a little of both. But a few people are on top of the money food chain, and these people are the best and brightest predators. These people may battle others, but they are never hunted. There is a difference between being hunted and fighting another predator.

To some of you this may seem a little like doom and gloom, but I see it as the natural order of things. Self interest and our different talents and motivation make sure that we will always be competing and dominating one another. Even though we can control our own instinct, I believe our own instinct still controls our thinking to such a degree that we cannot all live forever without reverting into self interest. Life is a struggle, and the people who seek safety will never be totally safe from conflict. Perhaps our instincts is our destiny that drives and us and cannot be changed, and our intellect is the freewill that can control part of the destiny.